Twists of Fate and Bad Luck
by Megz
Summary: Things change - Part 6 is up.
1. Fate / Luck

Twists of Fate and Bad Luck  
  
I don't own anything. Enough said.  
  
Monica was shopping at the mall for her son's birthday party. His birthday was two weeks away, January 28th. She stopped outside the last store and looked through her purse for some gum. As she pulled out a new package, she caught a glance at her left hand. It looked so different than it always had looked. Well, as long as she could remember. Something was missing from her own hand and it gave Monica a sinking feeling. She missed the way it used to look. Suddenly her phone rang, she jumped.  
  
"Hello?" She answered.  
  
"Hi, Mommy, it's me," an all to familiar voice came through the other line. It was her daughter, Ellie.  
  
"Hey, El," she said and entered the store, "What's up?"  
  
"We invited Daddy to Taylor's party," she said happily, then cautiously said, "Is that okay?"  
  
"Of course," Monica half-heartedly said, "He's your dad, and he deserves to be at your brother's seventh birthday, right?"  
  
"Right," Ellie agreed.  
  
"Can I talk to Daddy for a moment?" Monica asked her daughter.  
  
"Yeah, hold on," Ellie said.  
  
Monica heard the phone drop and she heard shuffling in the background. Monica picked up the last item on her list and walked to the checkout.  
  
"Hi," a voice finally said.  
  
"Hey, are you coming to Taylor's party?" Monica asked her husband.  
  
"I will," he paused, "Unless you don't want me there."  
  
"I do want you there, but not for me," Monica said, "You are still my husband."  
  
He paused for a moment, "Right, separated husband."  
  
"It'll be like old times, Phoebe and Ross are coming," Monica tried to sound optimistic.  
  
"Almost like old times," he muttered. "Is Ross going to be back by then?"  
  
"Yeah, he lands tomorrow," Monica told him.  
  
"Okay, I'll tell the kids," he told her.  
  
"You're dropping them off in an hour, right?" Monica said.  
  
"Right, see you then," and with that they exchanged good-byes.  
  
She paid at the checkout and walked outside the mall. She was contemplating whether she was happy he was coming or whether she was angry, when she heard someone scream from the other side of the parking lot. She turned around and saw a guy running away and a young girl laying on the ground. Monica dropped her shopping bags and ran over to the girl, still clutching her purse. A few other people had also run over to her. When Monica got to the girl she was sprawled across a sheet of ice, confused and trying to sit up. Monica rushed to the ground next to the girl, Monica could tell she was about nine or ten.  
  
"Are you okay?" Monica asked  
  
"I don't know," the young girl said, with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Don't sit up," Monica told her, noticing the trickle of blood coming from her hairline. "Call an ambulance," she told the five other people gathered around. A man pulled out a cell phone and dialed.  
  
"That man took my backpack; it had all my money and stuff in it," the girl said.  
  
"What's your name?" Monica asked her.  
  
"Janie," the girl told Monica, "I'm ten."  
  
"Ambulance is on the way," the cell phone man told Monica.  
  
"Janie, where are your parents?" Monica asked her.  
  
"My mom's in California," Janie told her, crying.  
  
Monica looked at the other bystanders confused, "California? Why are you in New York, where's your dad?"  
  
"I don't know, but my mom's boyfriend is in California, too," Janie told her.  
  
Monica had one of the other ladies to sit with Janie as she pulled out her cell phone, she dialed quickly.  
  
Phoebe answered on the other line, "Hello?"  
  
"Pheebs, it's me," Monica said.  
  
"What's up?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Can you go over to the apartment and meet the kids? There's been an emergency at the mall; I'm fine, I'll explain later."  
  
Phoebe, confused, answered "Okay, I guess so."  
  
Monica hung up the phone and went back to the girl's side. The other woman was wiping tears from her face.  
  
Janie looked at Monica, "I ran away, don't call my mom."  
  
Monica frowned, "Why would you run away?"  
  
Janie sniffed, "I miss my mom. But-"  
  
Monica interrupted, "I have two kids, and if either of them ran away, I'd be worried sick. I'm sure your mom is looking for you."  
  
Janie looked at her hands, "I guess so."  
  
The ambulance pulled up and two emergency workers stepped out of the vehicle. Janie became really worried, "I need my mom."  
  
Monica quickly said, "Janie, I'll make sure your mom knows you're here, okay?"  
  
Janie smiled, "Okay."  
  
"What's her name?" Monica quickly asked, unsure of how she was going to do this, as ambulance workers started to pull out equipment.  
  
"Rachel," Janie said, wiping her nose. "Rachel Green."  
  
Monica froze.  
  
Just the day before, Rachel had entered her house and called out, "Anyone home?"  
  
Silence. She set down her purse and walked into the kitchen, "Guys?" Still silence. She walked upstairs and checked her room, no one. She knocked on her daughter's door, "Janie, you in there?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Sorry I'm a few minutes late and I'm sorry I wasn't here and when the bus dropped you off, but it's not like I do this everyday." She waited for a response. "I'll take you for cheeseburgers." She still had no answer, so she opened the door. The room was still.  
  
Rachel's face fell and she looked around for any sign that her daughter had been home. She noticed a piece of paper on the bed.  
  
'Mom, I'm going to look for my dad in New York. I'll be home soon, I promise.'  
  
Rachel dropped the note and ran to the phone. Through tears and bewilderment she dialed a number really quickly.  
  
The male voice answered, "Hello?"  
  
Rachel pushed back tears, "Janie's gone."  
  
"What? Where?" he frantically asked.  
  
"To New York, to look for her father," Rachel sobbed.  
  
"Rach? Stay calm, I'm coming home," the voice said. "Call the police, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Okay," Rachel said and hung up. Then she started to dial another number, not the police, but another number.  
  
She waited, and the answering machine picked up, a familiar voice came through the phone, "Hi, you've reached the Gellers, we are unable to come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, one of us will call you back!"  
  
Rachel waited for the beep, then said, "Hi Ross, it's Rachel, I need you to call me as soon as possible, it's about Janie. She ran away. I think she's coming to New York looking for you." Rachel hung up, then dialled 9-1-1. 


	2. Things Change

Twists of Fate and Bad Luck:  
  
Part 2  
  
Rachel sat on the end of her daughter's bed, staring at the wall. It was three hours since she had come home to find her daughter missing. She sat motionless staring at the floor. There were a few items of clothes on it, a few books, and a box of pencil crayons. The slightly pink walls and peach carpet which usually felt so warm, now felt cold to Rachel. She turned and picked up a book off the floor. A few pictures fell out of it. Rachel gasped and picked them up. She hadn't seen the pictures since they arrived in California several years ago. She sighed, realising Janie must have found them somewhere and kept them. Rachel slowly flipped through the pictures. The first was of Rachel, beaming, with her hand on her stomach. They were taken when Rachel was eight months pregnant. The second was of Ross holding up a pink teddy bear and smiling. The next was of Joey and Chandler sitting on either side of a very pregnant Rachel on the couch in Chandler and Monica's apartment. Rachel stood up and walked into the hall. Her room was right across the hall and there were two other rooms at the end of the hall. Another bedroom and a bathroom. She took the pictures into her room, where she lay them on the bedside table. She stood next to her bed, unsure of what to do. She heard the door open and close.  
  
A male voice called out, "Rach?"  
  
Rachel quickly yelled, "In here!"  
  
Janie woke up, confused. Quickly she remembered where she was. The lady who had helped her stood next to her bed.  
  
"Hey, Janie," Monica smiled, "Feeling better?"  
  
Janie shook her head, "Did you call my mom?"  
  
Monica frowned, "No, I need her number."  
  
Janie squinted and sat up, "I have stitches; Mom needs to know."  
  
"She will," Monica smiled. "You're in good hands."  
  
Janie sat back down, "I hate hospitals."  
  
"Well, you can come home with me tonight," Monica told her, "I'm sure I can convince the doctors."  
  
"Okay," Janie shivered, "I'm cold."  
  
"I'll get you a blanket," Monica said and picked up a blanket from the bedside table. She started to cover her with it.  
  
Janie leaned back, comfortably, in a sitting position.  
  
Monica hesitantly asked, "Janie, what do you remember about living in New York?"  
  
"Not really much," she told her, chewing on her fingernails, "Just that I lived in a white apartment and my dad lived in a reddish one. And we used to visit my aunt, who had purple walls."  
  
Chandler knocked and walked into the room, "Hey."  
  
Monica stepped back when she saw him, "Hi. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Phoebe told me what was going on," Chandler said, putting his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Janie, this is my-" Monica paused, "My husband."  
  
Chandler looked at her funny, "Right."  
  
Janie looked towards him, she quickly yelled, "You were sitting next to Mom!"  
  
Monica frowned, "What?"  
  
Janie kept yelling frantically, "I found pictures, in Mom's room, of you and my mom and Joey!"  
  
Monica walked over to her side, "Janie, this may be hard to understand, but we knew your Mom when she lived here."  
  
"Wait, do you know my dad?" Janie asked, hysterically. Monica and Chandler were silent.  
  
Chandler thought for a moment, "Wait, who was in this picture?"  
  
"Mom, Joey and you!" Janie said, her eyes big with shock.  
  
"You see Joey a lot?" Monica asked.  
  
Janie nodded, her eyes full of confusion, then said, "Yeah, Joey is Mom's boyfriend," she quickly continued, "You knew Joey, too!"  
  
Monica turned to Chandler, shocked, "Joey and Rachel?"  
  
Chandler folded his arms, "I can't believe it."  
  
Janie grabbed Monica's arm, "Do you know my dad?"  
  
Monica frowned and turned to Chandler, "We need to call Ross."  
  
Joey walked into the bedroom to see Rachel standing, looking miserable. He spoke softly, "Did you call Ross?"  
  
Rachel nodded, "He wasn't there."  
  
"Did you call Monica?" Joey asked and Rachel shook her head. Joey walked over to her and put his am around her, "You called Ross- you can call Monica, too."  
  
Rachel moved over to her purse and picked up her address book, she handed it to Joey, shaking her head, "I can't; you do it."  
  
Joey picked up the phone and dialed the number from the book, after a few rings a child's voice answered.  
  
"Hello? This is Taylor," the voice said.  
  
Joey frowned, "Is Monica home?"  
  
Taylor chatted friendly, "Mom's out right now, do you want to talk to my sister?"  
  
Joey smiled uneasily at the realisation he was talking to Chandler and Monica's child, "How old's your sister?"  
  
"Five," Taylor told him. "Who is this?"  
  
"This is an old friend, Joey, is your dad home?"  
  
"Dad's not here, he doesn't live here anymore, but Phoebe is here, wanna talk to her?" Taylor asked, and before Joey could reply, Phoebe's voice came through the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Joey sat on the edge of the bed, "Pheebs?"  
  
Phoebe paused for a moment, trying to figure out who she was talking to, "Who is this?"  
  
"It's me, Joey," he told her.  
  
Silence. Finally, she whispered, "Joey? What happened to you?"  
  
"Long story, and we're really sorry," Joey said apologetically.  
  
"We?" Phoebe asked in surprise. "You're with Rachel, I presume."  
  
"Right, Rach and me," Joey said, looking to Rachel, whose fists were clutched together, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Where did you guys go?" Phoebe quickly asked, then remembering the days events said, "Rachel's daughter."  
  
"What about her?" Joey asked standing up, "Phoebe?"  
  
Phoebe quickly began talking, trying to contemplate what was happening, "She fell or something, she's here looking for Ross. Monica found her and helped her, and now Monica and Chandler are at the hospital with her."  
  
Joey sighed in relief, "Thank God." He turned to Rachel, "She's with Monica and Chandler!"  
  
Rachel grabbed the phone, "Phoebe! Is she okay?"  
  
Phoebe jumped back at the frantic voice of Rachel, a person whom she hadn't talked to in seven years, "Yeah. She's at the hospital, she fell, but she'll be fine, I think."  
  
Rachel sat next to Joey, and leaned against him, "Oh Phoebe, we'll be there tomorrow, keep her safe."  
  
Phoebe was silent for a moment, then said, "There are so many questions, mainly from Monica, but so many questions, come prepared."  
  
End of Part Two 


	3. The Day They Left

The Day They Left  
  
Part 3 of 'Twists of Fate and Bad Luck'  
  
Joey sat in his apartment watching television. It was 10:30 in the morning. The phone rang and he slowly stood up and answered it, "Hello?"  
  
"Is this Rachel's apartment?" a voice asked from the other side.  
  
"No, well, not anymore, but I can get her a message, if you want," Joey miserably said.  
  
The voice quickly asked, "Did she move? Why?"  
  
"Her and Janie moved to their own apartment two months ago," Joey told the woman.  
  
"Oh wow, I didn't even know. Can you tell her that Kelly called? I used to work with her," the woman happily said.  
  
"Alright," Joey told her, "Bye." Joey had just set down the phone when it rang again, "Yeah?" He said this time, more annoyed by the interruptions.  
  
"Hello, my name is Glenn Barton, is this Joey Tribianni?" a male voice said at the other end of the line.  
  
"Yeah, I'm him, why?" Joey asked, confused.  
  
"I'm a casting agent for a show here in Los Angeles and I would like to meet with you," Glenn cheerfully told him.  
  
Joey smiled slightly, "What show?"  
  
"It's a new show, actually, along the same lines of 'Ally McBeal', sort of comedy meets drama meets sci-fi," Glenn said.  
  
"Wow," Joey said, "That's pretty cool."  
  
"We saw you on the soap you're on and we wanted to meet with you. The part is a guest appearance, but if we like what we see, we do represent other shows," Glenn reassuringly spoke.  
  
Joey shrugged, "I guess so."  
  
"I'll give you a call in the morning, maybe you could fly out here some time this week," Glenn told him.  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Joey said and hung up the phone. He thought about it, his life here was getting pretty dull and everyone seemed to be moving on. Monica and Chandler had been happily married for four years; Phoebe was engaged; Ross and Rachel had a daughter that was almost three. It seemed everyone was moved on and he rarely even saw Rachel anymore. She was always doing baby-stuff. It wasn't like Joey felt anything for her anymore, that had been a small crush that had lasted less than a month. But he really missed her.  
  
Monica wandered around her apartment, waiting. Waiting for two things, for Chandler to come home and for her doctor to call. The phone rang and she jumped. She stared at it for a moment, then it rang again and she quickly picked it up.  
  
"Hey Mon, it's me. I'm at the coffee house do you want anything?" Chandler asked.  
  
Monica sighed, and angrily said, "No, I'm fine." She didn't want Chandler to call, she wanted her doctor to call.  
  
"Are you okay?" Chandler asked uneasily, "Have you been mixing chemicals to make household cleaning agents again?"  
  
Monica smiled, "Be quiet, I'm fine, okay?"  
  
"Whatever, I'll be home in, like, four minutes," he said, "See you then."  
  
"Yeah," Monica said and set down the phone. She turned to sit on the couch and wait, but the phone rang again, she quickly answered it, "Chandler, I'm fine, really."  
  
"Is this Monica Bing?" the person on the other end of the line asked.  
  
"Oh, sorry, yeah it is, I thought this was someone else," Monica said, embarrassed.  
  
Three minutes later Chandler walked up to the door of his apartment, whistling. In one hand he had a cup of coffee and in the other a bag, which had a muffin in it. He knew Monica didn't want anything, but he brought her a muffin anyway. He opened the door.  
  
Monica was standing in the middle of the living room, clutching the phone.  
  
"Hey, Mon, I brought you a muffin," he started to walk over to her, when he noticed she was smiling and not moving at all. "Are you okay?"  
  
Monica nodded and sniffed, "I'm great." She looked at Chandler and quickly said, "I'm pregnant."  
  
Chandler dropped the muffin and the coffee, "Seriously? Wow, that's so scary and cool at the same time."  
  
Monica nodded and ran over to him, she threw her arms around him, "Can you believe it?"  
  
"I'm trying to," he said, grinning. He leaned back for a moment, "It's mine, right?"  
  
She hit him lightly and half-angrily said, "What?"  
  
Chandler smiled, "You've been spending an awful lot of time at work lately."  
  
Monica grinned, "Yeah, actually I'm caring the head waiter's baby."  
  
Chandler laughed and kissed her, "We're going to be parents."  
  
Ross walked into the coffee house where Rachel and Janie sat on the couch, waiting.  
  
Janie giggled, Ross picked her up, "Daddy!"  
  
Rachel half smiled as Ross sat down and kissed his daughter, "Hi Ross."  
  
Ross smiled. "How are the girls?"  
  
Rachel tried to sound happy, "We're okay. Where's Ben?"  
  
"He went shopping with Phoebe and David," Ross told her.  
  
Rachel nodded, "Sounds like fun. I haven't been to shopping in months. Janie gets too tired."  
  
Janie leaned on Ross, and said, "It's boring."  
  
"So, is Ben okay now?" Rachel asked, she was tired.  
  
"Yeah, he seems to be over it, but I can still tell he misses Carol and Susan," Ross shrugged, "Can you imagine being in his situation? When Susan died, Carol couldn't handle it, I guess. She just disappeared. His own mom just left. None of us saw it coming."  
  
Rachel nodded, half-listening. Ross rarely saw Janie. She was so worn out these days. She rarely had any spare time, Rachel wished she could just disappear.  
  
Monica and Chandler came running into the coffee house, "Hey, guys!" Monica said, jumping up and down.  
  
"Hi Auntie Moca!" Janie said from her spot on the couch in between her parents.  
  
"What's up?" Ross asked, noticing Monica and Chandler's happy faces.  
  
Chandler put his arm around Monica, "We've got a surprise!"  
  
Rachel smiled along with her friends, "Tell us."  
  
Monica giggled, "I'm pregnant!"  
  
Ross stood shocked for a moment then stood up and pulled Monica into a hug, "I'm going to be Uncle Ross!" He then turned to Chandler, "Congratulations, man!"  
  
Chandler grinned and put his arm around Monica, "Thanks."  
  
Rachel stayed sitting on the couch, she felt intense jealousy; Monica and Chandler were going to have a real family. She was just a single mom. "I'm happy for you guys!" She half lied.  
  
Monica winked at Janie, "You're going to have a little baby cousin to boss around."  
  
Janie smiled in bewilderment, "Like Ben bosses me around?" she said thinking of how her own brother constantly had her doing things for her when she stayed at her father's apartment.  
  
Monica went and picked up Janie, "Kind of, sweetie." She turned to Rachel and Ross, "Can we go buy Janie some ice cream?"  
  
Ross shrugged, "Maternal instincts kicking in."  
  
"Are you kidding? She's had maternal instincts since our wedding day," Chandler said with a smirk.  
  
"Go ahead," Rachel smiled, feeling joy for her friends. "Bring her home for supper, not like she'll eat, when she's full of ice cream!" She stood up and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Bye honey."  
  
Janie smiled, "Bye, Mom." Chandler and Monica left with Janie.  
  
Rachel and Ross sat back down on the couch. Ross noticed Rachel's unhappy face.  
  
"Are you okay, Rach?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know, it's just Monica and Chandler have the perfect family now," Rachel sighed, "And lately I keep thinking that Janie needs a real family. And I don't see that anywhere around her for her. I mean, I don't have a boyfriend or even anyone of the male gender who I want to be around 'full- time.'"  
  
Ross felt hurt, "So this is about Janie needing to have a Mommy and Daddy tuck her in every night?" Ross half mocked, "Because, I'm sorry, Rach, but just adding some guy to your life won't do that."  
  
Rachel grabbed Ross's arm in impulse, "Unless her real Mommy and Daddy kissed her good night every night."  
  
"What do you mean?" Ross hesitated.  
  
"What if you and Ben moved in with Janie and I?" Rachel smiled, without forcing herself to.  
  
"There's no room for us," Ross told her.  
  
Rachel paused, then said, "Ross, don't you ever think about giving things another chance?" Rachel asked. "For Janie's sake."  
  
Ross looked away from her, "Like, Ben, Janie, you and me?"  
  
Rachel shrugged, "I guess so." Ross paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Rachel thought for moment, and then leaned in and kissed Ross. After a moment she pulled back. "A real family."  
  
Ross folded his arms, "Rach, this perfect family thing is an illusion; don't you see that?"  
  
Rachel leaned back, "That's a 'no'." She stood up, and wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
Ross grabbed her arm, "Rach, don't run off hurt, please," He begged.  
  
Rachel pulled her arm from his grip, "I've got to go." She turned and rushed out of Central Perk.  
  
Ten minutes later, Rachel entered Joey's apartment. Joey was sitting at the counter. He looked up and smiled as she entered, "Hey, Rach, what's up?"  
  
She miserably answered, "Not much," Rachel sighed and sat in the recliner.  
  
Joey looked at her concerned, "Is everything okay?"  
  
Rachel stood up, "No, everything is awful." She started to cry, "Ross is never around to spend any time with Janie. He sees her like once a week and he lives like a block away! I hate living alone, it is so boring. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Janie so much, but she's a handful. Everything was fine a few months ago! And I have to work at least part time so we can eat! And I never see any of you guys anymore! Never! I hate it. And Ross doesn't want any of the things that I do!" She sat back down and buried her head in her hands.  
  
Joey sat on the arm of the chair, "It's okay. I know, it sucks not seeing anyone anymore."  
  
Rachel nodded, "Why can't things be different? Maybe Janie and I could just move back here with you."  
  
Joey frowned, "You can, but I don't think I'll be here much longer."  
  
Rachel looked at him with big eyes, "Why not? Are you moving?" Joey nodded, she continued, "To where?"  
  
"California, maybe," Joey said. Rachel started crying again. Joey quickly told her, "Just maybe, nothing for sure."  
  
Rachel paused for a moment, thinking, "Can I come?"  
  
Joey froze, "What?"  
  
Rachel started to smile, "Yeah, just for a few months, with Janie. I just need to get away. We can all live together and I'll come back in a few months. You might even want to come back then, too."  
  
Joey thought for a moment, "What about Ross?"  
  
Rachel folded her arms, "He's too busy with Ben and with work. He'll be fine. We'll be back before anyone notices we're gone." She stood up, "Please, Joey, it'll be so great. I can take some time off work, I've got money saved up."  
  
Joey stood up, "I would like some company out there." Rachel nodded in excitement, "Plus, I love Janie so much, she'd love it. We could take her to Disneyland and that San Diego Zoo they're always advertising."  
  
Rachel grinned, "It'd be so great."  
  
Joey smiled, "Sure. Why not? No one will miss us, right? When should we go? Next week?"  
  
Rachel shrugged, "Let's go today."  
  
Joey couldn't believe it, "What? Are you sure?"  
  
Rachel started to tear up again, "I don't think I can handle it here anymore. Please?"  
  
It was 6:30. Phoebe and David walked up the steps to the hallway to Chandler, Monica and Joey's apartments. Ben was walking in front of them.  
  
"Thanks for taking me out with you guys today," Ben said. "You guys are so much cooler than my dad."  
  
"Yeah, well he's all into dinosaurs and stuff," Phoebe pointed out. "We'll just stop at Monica and Chandler's to pick up that camping bag, then we'll go over and take you home, Ben."  
  
Ben asked, "Can I have my bag? I can't wait to give Janie her present. She'll love it."  
  
David nodded, "You know, you really are a nice brother. My brother never bought me a Barbie."  
  
Phoebe smiled, "Thank God, otherwise you might swing the other way."  
  
"What?" David asked, confused.  
  
Ben turned to David, "She meant you might be gay."  
  
Phoebe gasped, "Ben, how do you know that?"  
  
"Ever listen to Rachel talk about her soap operas?" Ben asked.  
  
Phoebe smiled and tried to open Monica and Chandler's door. It was locked. "Not home," Phoebe muttered.  
  
David shrugged, "Maybe Joey knows where they are."  
  
Phoebe walked across the hallway and opened the door. She walked in, followed by Ben and David.  
  
The apartment was empty. All the furniture was either gone or moved to the back of the apartment.  
  
Phoebe gasped, "Oh my God." She picked up a piece of paper that Joey had scribbled. She turned to David, "Joey, Rachel and Janie are gone," she told him confused.  
  
Monica and Chandler entered the apartment, "What is going on?" Monica said, baffled.  
  
"Did you see Rachel today?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Chandler nodded, "We saw her about two hours ago. We dropped Janie off at her apartment. Why?"  
  
"Was she acting funny?" Phoebe frantically asked them.  
  
"Well, she was moving her furniture around, Joey was there. Phoebe, why?" Monica asked, her voice shaking.  
  
Rachel sat in the airport, clutching onto Janie. Joey sat next to her. He turned to her, "Rach, maybe we should go back. Tell everyone what is happening."  
  
Rachel sighed, "Joey, I can't." She looked at him with pleading eyes. His heart melted. Joey folded his arms, he felt so confused.  
  
Janie pulled on her mom's hair, "Can I see Dad?"  
  
Joey took Janie from Rachel, "In a while. I promise."  
  
End of Part 3 


	4. The Past for Phoebe and Ross

The Past for Ross and Phoebe:  
Part Four of 'Twists of Fate and Bad Luck'  
  
Basically, the next three chapters are going to be about the time between when Rachel and Joey left and when Janie arrived in New York. It'll be slip up not by time, but by the people it revolves around. This one is Ross and Phoebe....  
  
September 2005  
Rachel and Joey had been gone for three months. Rachel had called Ross a thousand times since then. This was one of those times. It began and ended the same way as it had every day.  
"Hello?" Ben said, answering the phone.  
Rachel spoke on the other end of the line, "Ben, it's Rachel, is your dad there?"  
Ben was, as usual, angry to hear Rachel's voice. To him she was the horrid lady who took his sister away, and he quickly replied, "Sure." He handed the phone to Ross, who was in the kitchen. Ben angrily said, "It's Rachel." Ben hated it, he wasn't even allowed to tell Monica that Rachel phoned almost daily.  
Ross wiped his hands and took the phone, "Hi, Rachel."  
"Okay, Ross, hear me out, you come here stay with us for a few weeks, then we'll all come back with you," Rachel said, just as she did everyday.  
Ross frowned, "Rach, you say this everyday. You know I miss Janie, just come home. Please."  
"No, Ross, seriously, we're doing good out here," Rachel told him. "Joey is working on this independent, little, movie thingy and I have a good job. You can come see Janie and everything will be okay."  
"Rachel, you are too optimistic, it's crazy!" Ross angrily told her. Ben sighed and walked out of the kitchen and into his room.  
Rachel tried harder, "Ross, we're not just coming back, so you'll have to figure out some way to come see Janie."  
"For God sakes Rachel, next time you call, have a little more sense," Ross stated and hung up the phone.  
Ben re-entered the kitchen, "You're just as stubborn as she is," Ben told him, getting a can of Coke from the fridge, "If you really cared about my sister, you'd jump on a plane and go see them. You don't even know their phone number, their address, you just wait around for them to come home."  
Ross stared at Ben, astonished, finally he said, "Ben, where did you learn the word 'stubborn'? And no Coke before dinner, drink some milk!"  
The next day, Ross was sitting in a cab, on his way to meet Monica and Chandler for dinner. Ben had been with Monica and Chandler all day. His cell phone rang, "Ross Geller," he droned.   
"Ross, it's Rachel."  
Ross sarcastically said, "Rachel, I haven't heard from you for a whole day, what's the new plan? We'll meet half way, say in Oklahoma?"   
"Ross, I give up," Rachel told him, "I can't force myself to come back, and I can't force you to come here."  
"Wait, Rach, I talked to Ben and maybe-" Ross started to say.  
Rachel ignored him, not even listening to what he was trying to say, "Good-bye, Ross Geller. You missed your chance. Have a nice life."  
"No, Rach, wait, I give in, just give me your phone number, please?" It was too late, Ross heard the other line hang up.  
  
July 2009  
Phoebe opened the door and quickly jumped into Ross's car. "Give me air-conditioning, it's so unbelievably hot outside."  
Ross laughed and put the car into first gear, "Hi, Pheebs."  
Phoebe started fanning herself with her hand, "Thanks for picking me up, I hate these massage seminars they keep newslettering me about."  
"We just have to pick up Ben from work," Ross told her before staying, "You know newslettering really isn't a-," he paused, "Never mind."  
"I can't believe he has a job," Phoebe said. "Isn't he like 11?"  
"Fourteen," Ross said, "And it's not a real job, it's just cleaning out the trash at the movie theatre."  
"Well, I'm sorry you have to pick me up," Phoebe told him, "David's out of town." She shrugged, "Monica and Chandler were taking the kids somewhere. It seems though you and I are the only ones left."  
"What do you mean?" Ross asked, puzzled.  
"Well Monica and Chandler are all obsessed over their children, Rachel and Joey are long gone," Phoebe sighed, "It's just us."  
Ross frowned, "I guess so."  
"I really didn't think we'd be the last ones left," Phoebe told him. "Do you know out of all of us, we have four children," she tried to pretend there weren't tears forming in her eyes. "And I don't have a single one."  
"Five children," Ross corrected.  
Phoebe threw a shocked look towards him, "What? I count four."  
"Well, there's Janie," Ross sighed when he said her name, "There's Ellie and Taylor, then Ben, right? Well, now, Joey has a baby on the way."  
Phoebe frowned, "How do you know this?"  
"I ran into Joey's mom last week. She was shopping in Manhattan that day Ben and I went. So, I asked her if she ever heard from Joey. She told me she had only heard from him a few times, a month ago being the most recent. She said his girlfriend was pregnant." Ross shook his head, "I asked if she knew who this girlfriend was and she muttered something about being late and ran off. Don't tell Monica or Chandler, okay?"  
"She probably could have told you how to get in contact with him," Phoebe sniffled.  
"If she hadn't run off," Ross put his hand out for Phoebe to hold it, "Never mind." He smiled, "Did you know newslettering isn't a word?" They pulled up outside the movie theatre.  
  
October 2010  
Phoebe walked into her apartment. David was standing, waiting for her.  
"Whoa," Phoebe said, "What's with the panicky expression?"  
David folded his arms, "Where were you?"  
"Ross's apartment," Phoebe told him, "Why?"  
"Because we're married and I see you like five minutes a day," David said and began to pace  
"You're always with Ross."  
"Calm down, really, what do you think Ross and I are having an affair?" Phoebe said, sarcastically.  
David stopped pacing, "Yeah, I do."  
Phoebe started laughing, "That's funny." She patted him on the shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "You are so cute. And so oblivious."  
"Wait," David said, as she walked towards the bedroom, "I'm trying to be mad at you."  
Phoebe walked back over to him, "I'm just helping Ross through this difficult time in his life, you understand, right? But, the whole trying-to-be-mad thing really worked, try it some more."  
David smiled, "Phoebe, we have to talk, or else, or else, I may hit the wall with my fist."  
Phoebe acted innocently, "Oh please don't, husband, boss, ruler, whatever." She smiled and hugged him.  
David grinned, "I love you."  
"I love me too," Phoebe joked, "But you're pretty loveable, too."  
  
January 2011  
Phoebe walked out of the store and her cell phone rang, she quickly answered, "Hello?"  
"Pheebs, it's me,"   
"Hey, Ross, what's up?"   
"I was wondering if you and David want to come over tonight for dinner. Monica, Chandler and the kids are coming, Ben's going to be around," Ross told her.  
Phoebe stepped out onto the street, "Yeah, we'll be there, what time?"  
Ross was sitting on his couch talking to Phoebe, "Around 6:30 should be good."  
Ross heard Phoebe start to say, "Sure, I'll-" And then she gasped. Ross froze as he heard a loud bang and the cell phone die.  
"Phoebe?" He yelled, "Pheebs?!"  
  
Monica ran, her heels clicking against the floor. Ross and Ben were standing at the end of the hallway. She stopped when she got a few feet in front of them, before either of them could speak Monica yelled, "What happened?"  
"She was hit by a car," Ross sighed.  
"Is she okay?" Monica screeched.  
Ben put his arm around his aunt, "Yeah, she should be okay. She broke her leg and has a concussion."   
"Oh God," Monica said, "But she'll be okay?"  
Ross nodded, "Where are Chandler and the kids?"  
"Home," Monica stated. "Where's David?"  
"In the room with Phoebe," Ross folded his arms, "He was white as a ghost when he got here; he had two different shoes on and no jacket."  
Monica leaned against the wall, "God, can you imagine? Just hearing the most important person in the world to you has been in an accident?" She looked at her hands, "I can't imagine if that happened to Chandler." She wiped a tear from her eye. "When Ben phoned, the first thing I thought was 'She's the only girl friend I've got left. Rachel's long gone, not Phoebe, too."  
Ross nodded.  
  
Ross walked into Phoebe's hospital room. Phoebe turned and smiled at him, "Hey."  
Ross noted the weak tone, "You okay?"  
"Fine," Phoebe lied.  
"Where's David?" Ross asked.  
"Gone to make a phone call or something," Phoebe sighed. "Are you okay?"  
Ross smiled and sat in the chair next to her bed, "I'm not the one in the hospital bed."  
"But you're the one with the sad expression," Phoebe told him.  
Ross shrugged, "It's just that everyone has someone, except me."  
"What?" Phoebe was confused.  
"Monica has Chandler, Chandler has Monica, you have David," Ross told her.  
"And you have Ben," Phoebe told him. "You've got the most amazing kid in the whole world. He is smart, he is nice, he loves you, he loves all of us. He's not a brat. Ellie and Taylor can be bratty, but not Ben."  
Ross thought for a moment, "You're right. All this time I've been feeling sorry for myself."  
"Yeah, you are kinda a downer," Phoebe laughed.  
Ross leaned in and hugged his friend, "Thanks, Pheebs."  
"Yeah, whatever," Phoebe said. "Now, what about those dinner plans?"  
  
Thanks for reading, next is Monica and Chandler... 


	5. The Past for Chandler and Monica

The Past for Monica and Chandler:  
Part Five of 'Twists of Fate and Bad Luck'  
  
March 2006  
Monica woke up to silence. The baby was asleep and not crying.  
Monica smiled. He was two weeks old and Monica was getting used to another person besides her and Chandler being in their apartment at night. She rolled over to check if Chandler had woken up, too. He wasn't there. She frowned and pulled herself out of bed. She entered the baby's room to see Chandler fast asleep in the rocking chair with a small blanket pulled up against himself.   
She glanced to the crib, where Taylor slept.   
Chandler stirred and woke up, he smiled when he saw her in the doorway, "Hey," he quietly said.  
She returned the smile and answered, "Hi."  
"What time is it?" he asked, standing up.   
He placed the blanket on the chair and walked over to her.  
"I don't know, I don't care," she replied, taking his hand and leading him out of the room.  
He let her lead him to the living room where they sat on the couch together.  
She snuggled up to him, he rubbed her arm, he whispered, "Life is perfect. I don't want anything to change."  
"Me neither," Monica told him, shutting her eyes, "Taylor will wake up soon, let's just stay here."  
Chandler glanced at the table. Resting on top of it was a piece of paper with a phone number scribbled on it. "What's that?"   
Monica opened her eyes and looked, "Oh, it's a number for a guy who tracks down people, you know?"  
"To track down Rachel and Joey," Chandler stated.  
"Right," Monica said, uneasily. "For Ross."  
Chandler nodded, "I think for now, it's a lost cause, Mon, they'll come back, give them time."  
"It's been almost ten months," Monica argued, "without a single letter or phone call."  
"We don't know that, maybe Ross has talked to them," Chandler told her.  
Monica sighed and closed her eyes, "Maybe."  
Chandler closed his eyes. The baby started crying. Monica groaned and got up. Chandler smiled followed her.  
  
September 2007  
It was 3:30 in the afternoon, Chandler sat in his desk staring at the ceiling. His secretary came through the phone, "Mr. Bing, your wife is here."  
He frowned looking at his watch, "Send her in," Chandler leaned forward.  
Monica came walking in, slowly, carrying Taylor, "Chandler, I feel sick." Her face was struck with worry.  
Chandler quickly stood up and took Taylor from her, "What's wrong?"  
Monica sat in his chair, behind his desk, "I don't know, I just feel really sick."  
Chandler sat Taylor down in the chair next to his desk and put his hand on Monica's forehead, "You're really warm, Mon."  
Monica shivered, "I feel so cold." Taylor watched his parents, puzzled.  
Chandler kneeled in front of Monica, "Maybe we should go to the doctor's or something."  
She nodded and started to stand up, she looked at Chandler with big eyes, then collapsed into his arms.  
Chandler looked at her, realizing she had fainted. He sat her back down in the chair and picked up the phone. He urgently spoke to his secretary, "Joan, can you come in here, please? I need some help. Quick!"  
  
Four hours later, Monica walked into her apartment, helped by Phoebe. Chandler had gone to the hospital with her, but Taylor was grouchy, so he took him home when Phoebe arrived.  
"Hey, honey, are you alright?" Chandler asked, as soon as she entered. He was sitting on the couch, Taylor was asleep in his room.  
Monica nodded and Phoebe smiled, "I'm going to go home."  
Chandler glared at Phoebe, puzzled, as she hurried out, "What's with her grin?"  
Monica smiled and sat at the table, "Sit down."  
Chandler obeyed and hurried to the seat next to her, "What's going on?" He frowned, unhappy to be left out of the joke.  
"Remember how I said we should wait a while before we had anymore children?" Monica took his hand, he nodded.  
Chandler kept nodding, "What are you getting at?"  
Monica grinned, "I'm pregnant, again, Chandler."  
Chandler's eyes went big and he stood up, "Oh My God, that's so exciting."  
She stood up, and he put his arms around her.  
  
May 2009  
Taylor screamed at the top of his lungs, "Mom!"  
Monica entered his and Ellie's room, "What?"  
"I hate Ellie!" Taylor yelled, jumping on his bed.  
"No, you don't," Monica told him. Ellie sat on the floor next to Taylor's bed.  
"Taywor!" Ellie shrieked.  
"I hate her being in my room," Taylor yelled.  
"It's her room, too," Monica said, picking up Ellie. She was angry, "Taylor, in a few months, we're moving to a real house, but for now, you'll have to deal with her, okay?"  
Taylor kicked the wall and stormed out of the room. Chandler entered, seeing his unhappy family. "What's going on?"  
Taylor ran to his dad and threw his arms around Chandler's leg, "Dad, Mommy's mean!"  
Monica threw her arms up in protest, "Chandler, Taylor hates sharing a room with Ellie."  
Chandler kneeled down and hugged his son, "It's okay, we'll figure something out."  
Monica walked up to Chandler, "You can't just walk in everyday after work and be the 'good guy'."  
Chandler stood up and folded his arms, "I'm just trying to make everyone happy."  
Monica handed Ellie to him and yelled, "I'm so mad at you right now!"  
"Mon, listen," Chandler tried to say.  
"Forget it, they are your children, too," Monica stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door. Ellie burst into tears. Chandler looked at Ellie and Taylor, "Mom will be home soon, I hope."  
  
An hour later, Monica entered the apartment, there was no one home. She frowned, still slightly angry and called out, "Hello?" Nothing.   
She walked over to the answering machine and pressed the button, a familiar voice came through. "Monica, it's Rachel. I'm just calling to see how everyone is. You probably don't want to talk to me, but I'll call back in a bit. I heard the message and I'm guessing Ellie and Taylor are your kids. Congratulations."  
Monica stared at the answering machine, dumbfounded. The phone rang and she jumped. She answered it, "Hello?"  
Rachel's voice came through the phone, "Monica?"  
Monica gasped and fought back a tear, "Oh My God, Rachel, are you okay?"  
Rachel sighed in relief, "You're not mad."  
Monica sat on the couch, "Rachel, no, I've been so worried."  
"You and Chandler have kids?" Rachel asked.  
"Yeah, a boy and a girl," Monica said, nervously playing with her hair. "What made you call?"  
"Well," Rachel's voice was full of tears, "I need help and I don't have any good girl friends around here."  
Monica stayed shocked, "Okay. What do you need?"  
"Umm, I've been dating this guy for like two years now, and he's a pretty good friend, he lives with us, I just kicked him out because he tried to give Janie beer," Rachel told her.  
Monica giggled, "Sounds charming. How is Janie?"  
"She's great," Rachel told her then continued, "So, I kicked him out, like a week ago, then I found out I'm pregnant."  
Monica smiled, "Do you love him?"  
Rachel sounded sheepish, "Yeah. I think so."  
Monica was happy talking to Rachel, "Then get him back there. Tell him you love him and you need him there. Then tell him that you're pregnant."  
Rachel sounded happy again, "Thanks."  
"How's Joey?" Monica asked.   
Rachel quickly said, "He's fine, I haven't seen him a few days. Look, Mon, I'm sorry, but I've got to go." The phone line clicked and she was gone. Monica stood up, still clutching the portable phone, and Chandler entered the apartment followed by Taylor. He was pushing Ellie in a stroller.  
"Oh, Mon, thank God, we've been looking for you," Chandler said, rushing over to her, "Look we can work it out, right?"  
Monica nodded, fighting back tears, "Of course." She kissed his cheek.  
"I'm hungry," Taylor told them.  
"Who were you talking to?" Chandler asked, noticing the phone in her hand.  
"Oh, it was just one of those survey thingy's," Monica lied.  
  
January 2012  
The Bings were watching a movie. Ellie leaned against Monica, they were sitting on the couch. Taylor sat on the floor and Chandler sat in the chair. When it ended Chandler picked up the remote and turned the television off.   
Ellie snuggled closer to her mom, "Mommy when the new baby comes where is it going to sleep?"  
Monica touched her stomach, she was nine months pregnant. They hadn't planned to have another child. When Monica told Chandler he had been more than happy. She had been worried about having another child, but he put her worries to rest. "Well, that's why Daddy put a down payment on that cute little house we went and saw. We'll move in as soon as it's born."  
Taylor stood up and jumped on the couch with his mom and sister, "I hope it's a boy because girl's smell."  
Ellie folded her arms and pouted, "We do not. We're pretty."  
Chandler laughed, "Kids, calm down. It'll be a perfect child, no matter what gender it is."  
Monica smiled at him lovingly and stood up, "Mommy has to pee," she told her children.  
"Mom!" Taylor groaned, "Don't tell us that! That's gross."  
Monica started to walk to the bathroom when she turned around and faced her family, her face looked shocked, "Oh no."  
Chandler jumped up, "What?"  
Monica put her hand on her stomach, "Baby, coming, really, really soon."  
"Now?" Chandler asked, "It's 8:30 at night. I've got to work in the morning."  
Monica let out a groan, "That's not funny."  
Chandler smiled and turned to the kids, "Kids, get your coats, we're going to the hospital."  
They obeyed and ran into their room.  
Monica frowned and looked at Chandler, "Something's not right."  
Chandler walked to her and put his arm around her, "What do you mean?" She shrugged. He smiled, "Don't worry, everything is fine."  
  
Phoebe and Ross had come and taken Ellie and Taylor home to bed. It was 4:30 in the morning and Chandler sat in the waiting area, clutching his hands together, tapping his foot. He was worried, about the baby, about Monica. They hadn't told him much, just that there were complications and that they had to transfer her to some special ward. A doctor came up to Chandler, frowning.  
"Monica is resting. She is fine," The doctor told Chandler, who jumped up.  
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Chandler nervously asked, he rambled on, "We always wait to find out, because we think it's better this way, otherwise, it's like reading the end of a book before you even start the first page. When Ellie was born, we were sure it was going to be girl."  
The doctor interrupted Chandler, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bing. The birth of your son was very complicated."  
"Son," Chandler repeated.   
"There was nothing we could do," the doctor told Chandler.  
Chandler hadn't cried. And neither had the baby.   
  
Later on, Chandler sat next to Monica's bed. His face was white with shock. He had wanted so bad to be holding on to a healthy son at that moment. He wasn't.   
Monica stirred and woke up, she turned to Chandler and smiled, "Where's the baby?" she asked.  
Chandler leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, he slowly said, "Mon, the baby died."  
She glared at him, astonished, "No, the baby is fine."  
Chandler shook his head and a tear streamed down his face, "Monica, I'm sorry."  
Monica started shaking as she sat up. She looked back to Chandler and sunk in. She started to cry silently and crumpled against her husband. With tears flowing down her face, she screamed, "Why?"  
Chandler cried harder, "Monica, I don't know."   
She burst into sobs, "That's not fair!"   
He wrapped his arms around her tighter, "We'll get through this and come out of it stronger."  
  
May 2012  
Monica was standing across from Chandler yelling, "You need to pick up your socks from the floor!"  
They were standing in their room, Chandler yelled back, "Monica, I usually do, I just forgot, okay?" The kids were at school.  
"No, you are such a mess and you never help out around here!" Monica screamed, she picked up a magazine and threw it at him.  
He ducked and it hit the wall, "Monica, calm down!"   
Monica folded her arms, "Chandler, we have to stop fighting all the time!"  
"You always start it," Chandler told her, angrily, "You get mad at me for everything. For dropping a dish, for forgetting to pick up soap, for being 3 minutes late!"   
"If you would actually do something nice one in a while, I wouldn't be so angry," Monica told him.  
Chandler grabbed her arm, he lowered his voice, "Monica, you can't blame me for the baby dying, can you? It wasn't my fault."  
She lowered her voice and angrily stated, "And you can't make me feel cherished once in a while, can you?"  
He released his grip and opened the closet, he pulled out a bag. Without saying anything he walked to the drawers and starting pulling out his clothes.  
Monica's voice was shaky, "Please, Chandler, don't."  
Chandler zipped up the bag and grabbed a jacket from the chair next to the bed, "I'm moving out, Mon."  
Monica started to cry, "Chandler, we've been together for fourteen years, we can work this out."  
Chandler frowned, "We can't, it's over."  
Monica huffed and pulled her wedding ring off her finger and walked to the window, "How's this for over?" She threw her wedding ring out the window and looked down, watching it disappear to the ground. When she turned around, Chandler was gone.  
  
It was five hours later, Chandler had come back. Now he sat on the step in the hallway, Ellie sat next to him. He had a suitcase with him. She played with her Velcro shoes. "So, where are you going?"  
Chandler sighed, "I'm just going to move a few blocks away."  
"Why?" Ellie asked, not looking at him, but focusing on her shoe.  
"Because Mommy and I are not happy with each other right now," Chandler tried to explain. He watched as the Velcro fastened and unfastened, making the same noise over and over.  
"Is this because the baby didn't come home?" Ellie asked, now playing with her frilly socks.  
"No," Chandler lied.  
Monica opened the door, her face was still red from crying, "Chandler, please, this doesn't have to happen."  
Chandler nodded, "Yes, it does."  
Ellie looked up at her mother and back at her father, she folded her arms, "I don't like this."  
Taylor appeared in the doorway, next to Monica. He angrily stated, "I hate this! This is unfair! I hate you!" He was screaming.  
Ellie stood up, "Do you hate me?"  
"I hate all of you," he turned around and stormed in the apartment. Ellie burst into tears. Monica picked her up and hugged her. Chandler kissed Ellie and walked away.  
  
Thanks for reading! The Next Part: Rachel and Joey's Past. 


	6. The Past for Rachel and Joey

The Past for Rachel and Joey:  
Part Six of 'Twists of Fate and Bad Luck'  
  
August 2006  
Joey stayed in the room at the end of the hall. Four year old Janie ran into his room, she yelled, "Hey!"  
Joey was laying on the bed, watching television, "What's up?" he asked her. It was 6:30 at night.  
"Mommy's coming and she looks worried," Janie warned, before she ran out of the room.  
Joey sat up and Rachel entered the room, with large curlers in her hair, wearing only a skirt, her bra and one shoe, "Joey, get dressed."  
Joey frowned, looking down at his grey sweats and blue t-shirt, "I am, Rach."  
Rachel threw up her arms in frustration, "Get on a suit, right now! I've been invited to this fashion thingy and I just looked at my invitation again, and it says 'Rachel Green Plus Guest'. If I don't bring a date, I'll look really sad. They'll think 'There goes that old-single mother, just walking around all old and mother-like!'"   
Joey stood up, not quite understanding her, "What about Janie?"  
Rachel smiled, pulling a suit out of his closet, "Mrs. Larkin from next door is coming over; I've already asked her."  
"Is there anything I can do to get out of this?" Joey asked.  
Rachel grinned, handing him the suit, "Nope."  
  
Rachel and Joey walked up to the door of the house, happily joking about one of Rachel's fellow employees.  
"I think I saw her go back to the bar at least seven times," Rachel giggled.  
"She sure was wasted. I think she thought I was her husband at one point," Joey smiled, "Or she was just really turned on by my good looks."  
Rachel laughed, "Sure, Joe." Rachel kept giggling, she had drunk a few herself. She looked up, "I think it's raining."  
"Well, let's get inside, then," Joey told her, opening the door.  
Rachel smiled, "You always take such good care of us, Joey. Why?"  
"'Cause I like to," Joey told her, grinning, and followed her in the house.   
Mrs. Larkin walked to the door when she heard them enter, "Did you enjoy your evening? Janie's fast asleep."   
"It was great," Rachel told her, "Thanks for staying with Janie," she said, pleasantly. "Come over for coffee tomorrow around three-thirty," she told her.  
Mrs. Larkin nodded, "Oh, that'll be nice, dear." She looked from Joey to Rachel, "You two really make a cute couple."   
Joey and Rachel looked at each other and laughed, "No, we're not together," Joey told her.  
Mrs. Larkin frowned, "Well you should be. Your generation always was a bit oblivious to everything." She picked up her coat and walked out the door, "I'll talk to you tomorrow, dear. Bye!"  
Rachel shivered, "It's cold." She walked up the stairs and Joey followed her; he started to walk towards his room.   
Rachel paused at her door and watched him, "Joe, will you come and get that big blanket from the top shelf of my closet?"  
Joey smiled, "Of course I will." He walked into her room behind her and went straight to the closet. Rachel followed him and stood behind him. He pulled down the blanket and set it in her arms.   
She stared at him for a moment, "Thank you."  
He nervously stared back, "Rach, you're a little drunk, go to bed. I've got to go to bed, too."  
Rachel ignored him, moving closer to Joey, "No, stay here for a minute." She thought for a moment, "We should check on Janie."  
Joey nodded, "Yeah."   
They continued to stare at each other. Rachel moved closer and pressed her lips against his. She stepped back after a moment.  
"Can I do that again?" She asked.  
Joey nodded and she dropped the blanket and kissed him again.  
  
Rachel woke up the next morning and heard the television on in the living room. She looked around her room quickly, realising she was alone. She pulled on her robe.   
In the living room, Janie and Joey sat on the floor playing Nintendo. Rachel smiled and exhaustedly looked at the clock on the VCR. 8:36am. Janie giggled and looked at her mom, "I'm winning!"  
Rachel grinned and looked to Joey, who stood up, uncertain, "I'll be back in a minute, Janie." He walked into the kitchen and Rachel followed.  
"So, last night we kissed," Rachel stated, picking up a coffee cup.  
Joey nodded, "That was it. Nothing more than a kiss."  
Rachel nodded, "I was a little drunk."  
"I'm sorry about it, I know you must regret it," Joey said, picking up the coffee pot and pouring some into her cup.  
"This works," Rachel told him.  
"What?" Joey asked, looking around.  
"Us," Rachel told him, "You and me, with Janie."  
"May I remind you of three plane tickets that sit in the drawer upstairs?" Joey said. Rachel diverted her eyes away from his. Joey continued, "Rach, we said 15 months, then we'd go back. I finished that independent movie, and now there's no reason to stay. You can transfer back to the New York office."  
"But, I don't want to go back," Rachel argued.  
"Because of Ross," Joey stated.  
"No," Rachel told him. "Because Ross didn't care enough. He had too many problems."   
Joey threw up his arms, "Rach, I'm not a Ross replacement!"  
"I don't want you to be," Rachel yelled, "I want you to be Joey. And as Joey, I want you to stay here and love us, as your family."  
Joey sighed, then put his hand out, Rachel placed her hand in his, "Family? That's a little hard for me to deal with."  
"Please," Rachel said. She unhappily folded her arms, "We can go back if you want."  
Joey shook his head, "We'll stay here. I'm only doing this because you're hot, you know that, right Rach?"  
Rachel hit his arm, angrily, "Joey!" But her face slowly turned back to a smile and she laughed.  
  
May 2009  
Janie walked into her Mom's room, Rachel was sitting on the bed, tears streaming down her face. For a seven year old she was pretty smart.  
"When's Joey coming back?" Janie asked, standing in the doorway.  
"Maybe never," Rachel told her, wiping her eyes with a tissue.  
"I didn't drink any of the beer, really, Mom," Janie told her.  
Rachel laughed, "It's not the beer, honey."  
Janie crawled into the big chair in Rachel's room, "Mom, where's my daddy?"  
Rachel quickly looked at her, shocked, "Daddy?"  
Janie nodded, "Well, I was at Chrissie's and her mom said to me, 'your mom and dad are really nice people.' And I told her that Joey wasn't my dad, he was just this guy who lives with us all the time. She didn't really say anything else, then. I mean, I have a Daddy right?"  
Rachel sighed, "Of course you do, he lives in New York with your half brother."  
Janie's eyes went wide, "Brother? Cool! I mean Allison hates her brother, but he's like really mean and plays with racing cars all the time."  
"He's fourteen," Rachel told her, "Ben."  
"I've always wanted a brother," Janie told her, jumping out of her chair.  
"Since when?" Rachel asked.  
Janie folded her arms, "Since forever."  
"Janie, honey, you'll have another brother or maybe a sister, soon," Rachel told her, looking to her stomach.  
Janie jumped up and down, "This is so 'citing! How?"  
"Mommy's pregnant," Rachel told her, "Joey's going to be the baby's daddy."  
Janie stopped jumping, "Can I see my Daddy?" The doorbell rang, Janie ran out of the room, "That's Chrissie! I can't wait to tell her I have a brother!" She ran down the stairs and Rachel heard the door open.  
Rachel stood up, and walked to the front door, Chrissie and her mother stood on the other side of it, "Have fun," was all Rachel could say, "You'll be back in a few hours, right?" Janie nodded and ran to Chrissie's van.  
Chrissie's mom chatted with Rachel for a moment, until Rachel said, "Excuse me, I have to make a call."  
Rachel walked hurriedly to the phone and dialed a number she hadn't dialed in years. It rang three times before Chandler's voice came through the phone, "Hi, you've reached Monica, Chandler, Ellie and Taylor, we're not around to take the call, but you can leave a message for us and we'll return it as soon as we can. Thanks!"   
Rachel heard the beep and paused before saying, "Monica, its Rachel. I'm just calling to see how everyone is. You probably don't want to talk to me, but I'll call back in a bit. I heard the message and I'm guessing Ellie and Taylor are your kids. Congratulations." She quickly hung up. Then she dialed another number.  
"Hello?" Joey said answering his phone. He waited for a moment, Rachel froze, unable to speak. Joey realised who it was, "Rachel?"  
Rachel quietly spoke, "Yeah."  
"What's up?" Joey asked.  
"I was just checking to see if you are okay," Rachel lied. She wanted him to break down, apologize, tell her he was coming home that very second. Tell her that everything was okay.  
"I'm fine, you?" Joey was at work on the set. "And Janie?"  
"Okay, we're fine," Rachel lied again.  
Joey hesitantly said, "Rach, are you okay? Do you want me to come back? You kicked me out for being too immature, remember?"  
Rachel quickly spoke, "No. We're fine." She hung up. She sat down at the kitchen table and ignored the phone ringing. She glanced to the caller ID: 'Joey - Cell'. She waited for it to stop ringing and she picked it up, dialling Monica's number again.  
This time there was an answer, "Hello?" Monica answered.  
Rachel was so relieved to hear her voice, "Monica?"  
She heard Monica gasp, and reply, "Oh My God, Rachel, are you okay?"  
Rachel sighed in relief, "You're not mad." She wiped a tear from her eye.  
"Rachel, no, I've been so worried," Monica told her.  
Rachel thought for a moment, "You and Chandler have kids?"  
"Yeah, a boy and a girl," Monica said, "What made you call?"  
"Well," Rachel tried to fight the tears, "I need help, and I don't have any good girl friends around here."  
Monica sounded shaken, "Okay. What do you need?"  
"Umm, I've been dating this guy for like two years now, and he's a pretty good friend, he lives with us, I just kicked him out because he tried to give Janie beer," Rachel told her. She chose not to tell her that it was Joey.  
Monica giggled, unaware, "Sounds charming. How is Janie?"  
"She's great," Rachel told her, then continued, "So, I kicked him out, like a week ago, then I found out I'm pregnant."  
Monica sounded happy for her, "Do you love him?"  
Rachel knew the answer, but she was embarrassed, "Yeah. I think so."  
Monica told her, "Then get him back there, tell him you love him and you need him there, and that you're pregnant."  
Rachel grinned, happy to have advice from someone she missed so much, "Thanks."  
"How's Joey?" Monica asked.   
Rachel quickly said, worried, "He's fine, I haven't seen him a few days. Look, Mon, I'm sorry, but I've got to go." Rachel got nervous that if she told Monica anything else, Monica would come out to California, which would be fine, but Rachel didn't want to see Ross, especially now she was pregnant with Joey's child. She unplugged the phone in case Monica had traced the number some how.  
Rachel sat on the couch for two hours, thinking about her past, when the door opened. Joey walked in, "I've been trying to call for hours! I got worried!"  
Rachel got up and walked over to him, she lightly put her hands on his face and kissed him, then she said, "Will you come back and stay?"  
Joey nodded, "Of course. I'm sorry, Rach."  
"Me too," she told him. "I've got news. News you may or may not like."  
"New job?" Joey asked.  
Rachel stepped back, "Bigger. There might be someone else living here soon. Beside you, Janie and me."  
"We're getting a dog?" Joey asked.  
"No," Rachel smiled.  
"I don't catch your drift, Rach, I'm not very bright," Joey told her, staring at her blankly.  
"In nine months," Rachel hinted. Joey continued looking at her confused.  
The door opened and Janie walked in, "Joey! You're home!"  
Joey hugged Janie, "Yeah, for good."  
She giggled, "I've got to go find my Barbie, Chrissie says it's uglier than hers, but she's wrong." She started to walk up the stairs, when she turned around and said, "Isn't it exciting about the new brother or sister?" She rushed up the stairs.  
Joey slowly turned around and looked at Rachel, "Is she saying-?" Rachel nodded, worried. Joey looked down, "Oh my God!"  
"What do you think?" Rachel asked.  
"That I need a beer," Joey told her. Then he looked back to Rachel and said, "This is so incredible!" He pulled her into a hug.  
Rachel sighed, relieved, "Thank God, you're okay."  
"Okay? I'm great!" Joey told her. He saw the phone was laying on the couch, "Who were you calling?"  
"Oh, a survey-guy called," Rachel lied. She pulled him back into the hug.  
  
November 2011  
Joey sat in on the bench in the playground, waiting for Janie and Rachel to exit Janie's school. He was holding onto his daughter, Kayla, who was seated on his lap. She was two and giggling all the time.   
Joey started talking to her, "How's my favourite daughter?"  
Kayla hung onto Joey's shirt, "Let's play."  
"In a minute, Mom and Janie will be out in a second," he told her, touching her little nose.   
Janie and Rachel walked out the doors. Rachel had been volunteering at school for the day. Janie pointed, "Joey and Kayla are here!"  
Rachel smiled when she saw them, they walked over to the bench, "What are you two doing here?"  
"Picking you up for an after school snack," Joey told her.  
Rachel kissed Kayla's head, "What are we having?"  
She giggled and shouted, "I want pizza!"  
Rachel rolled her eyes, and looked at Joey, "You have this kid brainwashed!"  
  
December 2012  
Janie had been awake since 7am, but Joey and her Mom were still asleep. It was now 9:30. They had been out late last night. Kayla was sitting in front of the television watching cartoons. Janie was in the kitchen pouring herself some Cheerio's.   
She yelled to Kayla, "Want some cereal?"  
Kayla yelled back, "Yeah."  
Janie was excited, today she was going to her friend's birthday party and they were going to a water park. The phone rang and she ran to answer it, in case it was one of her friends. And so it wouldn't wake Joey or her Mom, "Hello?" She casually said.   
"Is this Rachel Green's house?" A young male voice asked.  
"Yeah, why?" Janie asked, confused.  
"I used to know her, when she lived in New York," the voice stated.  
Janie shrugged, "How old are you?"  
"Seventeen," the man said.  
"You must have been like my age when you knew her," Janie told him.  
"Wait, is this Janie?" The voice asked.  
Janie froze, "How do you know me?"  
"I'm Ben," he told her, quickly.  
Janie sat down at the table, "As in my brother Ben?"  
"I guess so," Ben said. "Look, I've been looking for this number so my dad could find out how you guys were. I was too scared to tell him that I got a hold of it, so I called."  
"Your dad?" Janie was shaking, "As in my dad?"  
"Right," Ben hesitantly said. "Is Rachel home?"  
"She's asleep," Janie told him.  
"Well, tell me what life is like for you guys," Ben asked.  
"Well, I have this other sister, Kayla, she's a brat, but she's cute, and we live in this really nice white house," Janie told him.  
"Is your mom married?" Ben questioned.  
"No," Janie stated.  
"Boyfriend?" Ben asked.  
"Yeah, Joey, he's Kayla's dad, he's awesome," Janie told him, smiling.  
"As in Joey Tribianni?" Ben hastily stated.   
"Right," Janie frowned.  
"My dad is going to be so upset," Ben said.  
"What? Why?" Janie asked.  
"I really shouldn't have called," Ben hurriedly said, "Please don't tell Rachel."   
Janie frowned, "Wait, why?" Ben hung up and Janie stared at the phone.   
Janie walked into the living room and Kayla scowled, "Where's breakfast?" Janie ignored her and walked straight to the basement and turned on the computer. There had to be some way to get plane tickets to New York online. She'd seen Joey do it when they all went to Florida the summer before. 


End file.
